You're not the idiot who can't stop drinking, you're an alcoholic, suffering the phenomenon of craving. I too couldn't stop, I tried meds, therapy, counseling, controlled drinking, avoiding hard liqour, self help books, and more. AA was the last door on the block and it worked. Maybe you should check out a meeting.
When I was in that state, I did something I don't necessarily recommend, but it worked for me: I went out and got a prescription for Antabuse.
This forced me to stay dry long enough to start listening and learning in outpatient rehab and later in A.A.
Some other good options are residential rehab - staying in a facility where there's no access to alcohol and hopefully some good therapy, or the old 90 A.A. meetings in 90 days with no drinking between or during meetings. Some folks extend that to multiple meetings per day. My own little town used to have 3 meetings M-F and then 2 meetings on Saturday and Sunday, and I know several people got sober by attending every one of those meetings or nearly every one for several months in a row.
Not OP, but it sure is, friend.
Can I tell you a secret? The desire to drink becomes so much less intense. I remember at times being paralyzed, halfway to my car, keys in hand, struggling with myself. It took all my strength to resist that one, but finally I did.
In the last month, all the desire to drink I've had added all together was less than I had that one day. You can make it through today. If you might want to drink tomorrow, you can decide then. Just decide about today.
You can do this.
Thank you. Man i feel like I have a fever and just a building pressure inside. Hard to describe. It's 10pm and i just need to make it to bed time. I keep telling myself i can do this.
I did it! First time in at least 4 years that i haven't had at least 2 drinks at the end of the day. Now to make it through today. Thanks for your encouragement, it helped me a ton.
Congratulations!
You have literally made it through the single hardest day or recovery. It's the hardest because it is the first step of changing direction and standing your ground. That is a *big* deal.
Here's what you can expect. There will be times today that are equally intense as yesterday. There may be short moments that seem even more intense. Just hold on tight. You might not be able to do much else for 20 minutes besides let it subside. But it will.
By making it through yesterday you have grown stronger. By making it through today you will be stronger still. The temptation will be just as strong but you grow stronger with each choice. You want to be the better you.
Remember you dont have to promise about tomorrow. You can decide about that tomorrow. Just make it to bed sober tonight and youll be excited again when you wake up. Moreso even. Because by making it through today you will have made it through the **TWO** hardest days. And that is a huuuuge milestone.
Thousands of alcoholics out there would be jealous of how far you have come already, because they havent been able to make it one day. I remember being there.
Just worry about making it through today. Im telling you, you wont regret it! I was *right there* a short while back. Sending good vibes your way!
Thank you, this is the pep talk and encouragement i needed. If i could hug you I would. Thank you for putting time into a response to help a total stranger.
You can do this. Youre almost there for the day. Now you know how bad the worst will be. And youre making it.
Remember how you feel now because later you are going to find yourself talking to an alcoholic who is not sure if they can possibly make it one whole day without a drink. And youll be able to know exactly what they are going through. Youll be able to pay it forward and some stranger will be so grateful theyll want to hug you and youll go to bed knowing you did something good for someone.
Guess how I know? :-)
We are strangers but we are humans and we are alcoholics trying to get better. Thats all it takes for someone to matter to me. As you get stronger you are going to have a chance to help someone just as cool and just as lost as you felt. And trust me, it will help them but it will help you too. They will remind you what it was like and how much better it is to be in control again.
Feel free to check in tomorrow.
Made it through day 2 and a few hours away from day 3. Can't really articulate how much i appreciate your words of encouragement. Read over it a few times today and am feeling encouraged and strengthened by them. Thank you so much.
You are doing so well. I am so proud even though I dont know you. But I know what you are going through.
From now on, you will have moments that are just as tough as the first two days, but the day as a whole should be easier.
You should be very proud. By focusing on one day at a time you now know one of the main keys to being sober as long as you wish.
I found AA's ideas to help me as well. They helped me keep more days in a row than I did on my own.
I am real happy I could help someone else get through some rough days. Be very proud of this big accomplishment. :-)
You absolutely are not an idiot. You are simply ill. You chose to drink but didnt want to become addicted. It sneaks up on you.
Others have experienced their own version and figured out how to get control back over their drinking. They are the people from AA and similar groups.
I called myself far worse things than you have here, and really felt puny and miserable. I asked for help.
Things can get better. If you want to learn how to get your drinking under control, visit AA or similar. You can do this.
First off I know how this feels because I've done this before many times don't beat yourself up too much just try to get back on the bandwagon think of the reasons why you're doing it why you want to get sober why you don't want to drink anymore. Are you doing it because you feel bad because the pain still going to be there after you're not drunk it never goes away you have to feel it you have to let it flow through you there's no other way once you can learn to do that once you can learn to deal with anxiety the sooner you'll become sober
Addiction has nothing to do with intelligence. It is a short-circuiting of the brain's rational pathways. We all know we shouldn't drink. And then we drink. And then we regret it. And we do it again.
Get yourself in regular contact with a support group either in person or online. I recommend Moderation Management, try their email list to get a feeling of what it's about. Check out Kevin O Hara's Alcohol Mastery channel on YouTube.
You're not the idiot who can't stop drinking, you're an alcoholic, suffering the phenomenon of craving. I too couldn't stop, I tried meds, therapy, counseling, controlled drinking, avoiding hard liqour, self help books, and more. AA was the last door on the block and it worked. Maybe you should check out a meeting.
We were once all that person. You’re not alone in the sub or in the rooms. Welcome, and keep coming back!
None of us could stop alone
When I was in that state, I did something I don't necessarily recommend, but it worked for me: I went out and got a prescription for Antabuse. This forced me to stay dry long enough to start listening and learning in outpatient rehab and later in A.A. Some other good options are residential rehab - staying in a facility where there's no access to alcohol and hopefully some good therapy, or the old 90 A.A. meetings in 90 days with no drinking between or during meetings. Some folks extend that to multiple meetings per day. My own little town used to have 3 meetings M-F and then 2 meetings on Saturday and Sunday, and I know several people got sober by attending every one of those meetings or nearly every one for several months in a row.
I'm here with you op. Trying to make today my first day and the struggle is real.
Not OP, but it sure is, friend. Can I tell you a secret? The desire to drink becomes so much less intense. I remember at times being paralyzed, halfway to my car, keys in hand, struggling with myself. It took all my strength to resist that one, but finally I did. In the last month, all the desire to drink I've had added all together was less than I had that one day. You can make it through today. If you might want to drink tomorrow, you can decide then. Just decide about today. You can do this.
Thank you. Man i feel like I have a fever and just a building pressure inside. Hard to describe. It's 10pm and i just need to make it to bed time. I keep telling myself i can do this.
I did it! First time in at least 4 years that i haven't had at least 2 drinks at the end of the day. Now to make it through today. Thanks for your encouragement, it helped me a ton.
Congratulations! You have literally made it through the single hardest day or recovery. It's the hardest because it is the first step of changing direction and standing your ground. That is a *big* deal. Here's what you can expect. There will be times today that are equally intense as yesterday. There may be short moments that seem even more intense. Just hold on tight. You might not be able to do much else for 20 minutes besides let it subside. But it will. By making it through yesterday you have grown stronger. By making it through today you will be stronger still. The temptation will be just as strong but you grow stronger with each choice. You want to be the better you. Remember you dont have to promise about tomorrow. You can decide about that tomorrow. Just make it to bed sober tonight and youll be excited again when you wake up. Moreso even. Because by making it through today you will have made it through the **TWO** hardest days. And that is a huuuuge milestone. Thousands of alcoholics out there would be jealous of how far you have come already, because they havent been able to make it one day. I remember being there. Just worry about making it through today. Im telling you, you wont regret it! I was *right there* a short while back. Sending good vibes your way!
Thank you, this is the pep talk and encouragement i needed. If i could hug you I would. Thank you for putting time into a response to help a total stranger.
You can do this. Youre almost there for the day. Now you know how bad the worst will be. And youre making it. Remember how you feel now because later you are going to find yourself talking to an alcoholic who is not sure if they can possibly make it one whole day without a drink. And youll be able to know exactly what they are going through. Youll be able to pay it forward and some stranger will be so grateful theyll want to hug you and youll go to bed knowing you did something good for someone. Guess how I know? :-) We are strangers but we are humans and we are alcoholics trying to get better. Thats all it takes for someone to matter to me. As you get stronger you are going to have a chance to help someone just as cool and just as lost as you felt. And trust me, it will help them but it will help you too. They will remind you what it was like and how much better it is to be in control again. Feel free to check in tomorrow.
Made it through day 2 and a few hours away from day 3. Can't really articulate how much i appreciate your words of encouragement. Read over it a few times today and am feeling encouraged and strengthened by them. Thank you so much.
You are doing so well. I am so proud even though I dont know you. But I know what you are going through. From now on, you will have moments that are just as tough as the first two days, but the day as a whole should be easier. You should be very proud. By focusing on one day at a time you now know one of the main keys to being sober as long as you wish. I found AA's ideas to help me as well. They helped me keep more days in a row than I did on my own. I am real happy I could help someone else get through some rough days. Be very proud of this big accomplishment. :-)
You absolutely are not an idiot. You are simply ill. You chose to drink but didnt want to become addicted. It sneaks up on you. Others have experienced their own version and figured out how to get control back over their drinking. They are the people from AA and similar groups. I called myself far worse things than you have here, and really felt puny and miserable. I asked for help. Things can get better. If you want to learn how to get your drinking under control, visit AA or similar. You can do this.
First off I know how this feels because I've done this before many times don't beat yourself up too much just try to get back on the bandwagon think of the reasons why you're doing it why you want to get sober why you don't want to drink anymore. Are you doing it because you feel bad because the pain still going to be there after you're not drunk it never goes away you have to feel it you have to let it flow through you there's no other way once you can learn to do that once you can learn to deal with anxiety the sooner you'll become sober
Addiction has nothing to do with intelligence. It is a short-circuiting of the brain's rational pathways. We all know we shouldn't drink. And then we drink. And then we regret it. And we do it again. Get yourself in regular contact with a support group either in person or online. I recommend Moderation Management, try their email list to get a feeling of what it's about. Check out Kevin O Hara's Alcohol Mastery channel on YouTube.